Halfway Through the Year: Are You More Bankable Than You Were in January?

by Admin | Jul 9, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

At the start of 2026, most small business owners set their sights on growth. More revenue. New customers. Expanded capacity. If you identified the priorities that mattered most heading into this year, you had a clear sense of where you wanted to go. Six months later,...

Policy and Cost Uncertainty Is Replacing Inflation as the Key Planning Challenge for Small Businesses

by Admin | Jan 29, 2026 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

As 2026 begins, the pressure shaping small business decisions is changing. Inflation dominated conversations for much of the last two years. Pricing pressure has not disappeared, but it is no longer the issue driving most planning decisions. More business owners are...

Owner Discipline: The Strategic Capital Allocation Decision

by Admin | Nov 27, 2025 | Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

From December 2024 to October 2025, small business owners demonstrated a disciplined approach to capital allocation strategy despite dramatic shifts in sales expectations. The percentage of owners expecting sales to rise dropped from 22% to 6% — a 73% decline in sales...

The Cautious Recovery: When Relief Doesn’t Equal Growth Confidence

by Admin | Aug 14, 2025 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

When two major organizations independently report the same business trend, smart leaders pay attention. The latest US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index (Q2 2025) confirms what I analyzed last month in my post based on June 2025 NFIB data: small businesses are...